ALEPPO, Syria — The areas under the control of the Free Syrian Army in northern Aleppo countryside witnessed between Dec. 16 and Dec. 24 heavy rainfall that led to floods and torrents. The tents of many internally displaced persons (IDPs) were destroyed in camps near Azaz in Aleppo’s northern countryside. The rainstorm left hundreds of families homeless in the absence of any help from humanitarian organizations.

Al-Monitor toured Bab al-Salam camp in northern Azaz, where the rainfall caused floods in large parts of the camp. Tents that survived the floods were no longer habitable, however, forcing a large number of camp residents to either sleep out in the open or at relatives’ houses in Azaz and nearby villages.

Children's playgrounds turned into pools of mud, and instead of playing outdoors the children helped their mothers clean mattresses, blankets and cooking utensils soaked with water and mud. On the southern end of the camp, a group of women helped an elderly neighbor who lives alone in her tent.

Bab al-Salam camp, home to a large number of IDPs (no official statistics are available on their exact number), is not the only one that was flooded in the area. Many camps that were set up for IDPs near Azaz close to the Syrian-Turkish border faced the same fate, including al-Shuhada, al-Rayan, al-Nour, al-Iman, al-Qatari, Sajou, Ehtimilat, Dabek, al-Bal, Shamarekh, Shamarin, al-Rahma, al-Mokawama, Yazi Bagh, al-Risala, Kaer Kalbein, al-Sawameh and Deir Ballout camp.